Warrnambool Basketball's Jenna Osborne opens up about her involvement in the association

The Warrnambool resident has felt that way since she first arrived at the club in 2010 when her brother Liam, now a Seahawks regular, started his junior career.

She was first part of the junior committee before progressing into the role of the Seahawks and Mermaids' representative squad administrator, which she did for eight years.

She also became coordinator of the successful annual Warrnambool Seaside Tournament in 2011, a role she still does now.

The 32-year-old, who entered the club at 23, then joined the Seahawks and Mermaids committee and then went onto the Warrnambool Basketball Inc. board as secretary until last season.

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But Jenna and Liam are not the only members of their family to help out the club.

"My mum (Helen) is the Warrnambool Basketball administrator and then along the way my dad (Matt) and sister (Rachael) have all volunteered," she said.

"They also supported Liam through his playing and me doing what I have been doing with the club and lending a hand and helping out when they can."

Basketball is not the only sport Osborne has given her time to over the years.

The utility played netball for 10 years with Warrnambool and District league club Russells Creek, winning a B grade premiership in 2008.

The St Pius Primary School teacher was also a junior and senior coach, on the netball committee and was secretary for the Kangaroos.

But then basketball took control and she was forced to cut ties with netball until recently.

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She returned to netball two seasons ago when she joined friends in Koroit open grade coach Stacey O'Sullivan and Danielle McInerney as an assistant at the powerhouse Hampden league club.

The passionate Geelong fan attributed her love of helping out to her mother.

"I have had the notion instilled by mum as she has always volunteered," she said.

"She has done everything from school committees to sporting clubs and that is always what she has done and there has not been anything different.

"She says we should always give back to the clubs we are involved in."

Osborne said over time Warrnambool Basketball has become a second family, even with her immediate one involved.

"I have established a lot of friendships and my whole family is involved in the club so it has become what we have done for so long," she said.

"A lot of my really good friends are there and it's a bit of a social outlet for me.

"(We are family) especially the Seahawks and Mermaids which I am heavily involved in. They are people you spend most of your week with for almost eight months of the year."

Osborne said the reward of seeing the organisation succeed as a whole vindicated her constant commitment.

"It's hard trying to find a balance with work and then life outside of work as basketball takes up a lot of my time and sometimes you question what you are doing," she said.

"But the rewards that you get in the form of being involved in a club outweighs the negatives with positives."

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Osborne said one of the club's most recent success stories - the 2016 Big V division one men's championship win - was one of hers too.

"The year the Seahawks won the 2016 championship that was huge a achievement for the club and also for me," she said.

"Knowing all the hard work on and off court and everything the players and the board put in all came together and we saw that we could achieve success.

"(Chasing success) is what drives a lot of people wanting to help out.

"We are just wanting to build a culture and environment people want to become part of. They socialise, play and we love to just to be able to keep providing people with things to do.

"Success drives any club. It's great to win and that is what sport is but at the same time not enjoying the people you are around makes the work you are doing with that side not mean much. You have to enjoy it."

Osborne listed a number of traits she believed made a good volunteer.

"You have got to be able to work with people and willing to do things yourself that you would and do ask people to do," she said.

"Having an attitude of getting in and getting things done and seeing a bigger picture and bigger purpose helps too."

Osborne said the success of any club is based on the commitment of its volunteers.

"Clubs solely run on volunteers and if they didn't have those people willing to get in and help then that's when they fall apart," she said.

"Sport is such a huge part of our community and to make that sustainable people have got to do there bit.

"If we (Warrnambool Basketball) didn't have the coaches, managers and committee who put in their time then we wouldn't be able to provide the opportunities we do for the kids and our more mature players.

"We wouldn't have been able to run in the past. There has been volunteers at our club who have been involved for years and they help make the club."

Osborne said she was itching to get back to work with the association once the coronavirus restrictions allowed them to return to training and playing.

"Things definitely have slowed down and it's disappointing we are not competing and we are not spending time together," she said.

"On a personal level it has been nice to be able to stop and relax a bit as life hasn't been so hectic.

"I do miss seeing friends and socialising and catching up each week."

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